HOW TO PARSE NOUNS
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69. Parsing a word is putting together all the facts about its
form and its relations to other words in the sentence.
In parsing, some idioms--the double possessive, for example--do not
come under regular grammatical rules, and are to be spoken of merely
as idioms.
70. Hence, in parsing a noun, we state,--
(1) The class to which it belongs,--common, proper, etc.
(2) Whether a neuter or a gender noun; if the latter, which gender.
(3) Whether singular or plural number.
(4) Its office in the sentence, determining its case.
[Sidenote: _The correct method._]
71. In parsing any word, the following method should always be
followed: tell the facts about what the word _does_, then make the
grammatical statements as to its class, inflections, and relations.
MODEL FOR PARSING
"What is bolder than a miller's neckcloth, which takes a thief by the
throat every morning?"
_Miller's_ is a name applied to every individual of its class, hence
it is a common noun; it is the name of a male being, hence it is a
gender noun, masculine; it denotes only one person, therefore
singular number; it expresses possession or ownership, and limits
_neckcloth_, therefore possessive case.
_Neckcloth_, like _miller's_, is a common class noun; it has no sex,
therefore neuter; names one thing, therefore singular number; subject
of the verb _is_ understood, and therefore nominative case.
_Thief_ is a common class noun; the connection shows a male is meant,
therefore masculine gender; singular number; object of the verb
_takes_, hence objective case.
_Throat_ is neuter, of the same class and number as the word
_neckcloth_; it is the object of the preposition _by_, hence it is
objective case.
NOTE.--The preposition sometimes takes the possessive case (see Sec.
68).
_Morning_ is like _throat_ and _neckcloth_ as to class, gender, and
number; as to case, it expresses time, has no governing word, but is
the adverbial objective.
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